Garment-stretcher.



E. M. WENZELL GARMENT STHETCHER/ APPLICATION FILED saw. 22. I917.

f Patented Aug. 27,1918

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ERNEST BID. WENZEL, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

GARMENT-STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918-.

Applicationifiled.September 22, 1917; Serial No. 192,798.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, ERNEST M. WENZEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment- Stretchers, of which the following is a full and exact specification.

The present invention. relates to improvements in garment stretchers, and more particularly to devices for holding in shape the leg portions of trousers, and" aims to provide a stretching device for this purpose which will be both eifective and convenient in its operation.

It is also sought to devise a construction wherein is provided a range of adjustment both as regards the stretching action as well as for adapting the device for varying sizes of garments.

It is also an object to provide a device of this character having a yielding operating means for holding the parts in: their opera tive or expanded relation.

A further objectis to devise an arrangement and construction which will be extremely practical and durable and of a nature which'will be cheap to manufacture. Minor objects will appear in the course of the detailed description.

With these objects in View the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein is illustrated one form of construction which has been devised for carrying out the desired objects of the invention, after which the improved features will be set forth and clefined in the appended claims.

In the drawing Figure 1' is a plan view of a stretching device constructed in accordance with the present invention, the dotted lines representing the parts in expanded relation;

Fig. 2 is a side or edge view of the device, with certain portions broken away; and

Fig. 3 is an end View of the same.

Referring to the drawmg in detail, the device is illustrated as comprising a pair of longitudinal side pieces 4, of light but strong material, constituting the garmentengaging members, and preferably formed with thin outer edges (see Fig. 2) designed to fit in the creases of the trousers legs. The opposite ends of each of the members 4 are rabbeted to provide kerfs 6 within which to pivot, by means of screws 8 or the like, one

end of each of the curved toggle links 10 and 12, arranged in pairs at the opposite ends of the members a. The upper pair of links 10 are somewhat longer than the links 12 in order to provide for the greater expansion required at the upper portion of the trousers legs. The bottoms of the kerfs 6 serve to limit the expanding movement of the links.

The links 1 0 are connected to form a toggle' joint by means of a bolt 14 carried by the legsof a yoke member 16 straddling the links 10, said bolt being adapted to be fitted through any one of the pairs of bolt openings 18 provided in said links 10, whereby the throw as well as the leverage of the toggle are regulated.

The lower links 12 are connected to form a toggle joint bymeans of a bolt 20 which is adapted to be fitted through any one of the pairs of bolt openings 22 provided in said links 12, thus obtaining a similar adjusting arrangement as regards the toggle action at this end of the device.

To the yoke 16 isconnected one end of a coil spring 24, to the other end of which is connected a strap link 26- provided with a series of bolt openings 28, whereby, when the device is expanded, said link 26 may be adjustably connected to the lower toggle j oint'by hooking said link over the ing end of the bolt 20.

The operation of; the stretching device will be'readily understood by reference-to Fig.1. parts occupying the positions illustrated. by the full lines in said figure, with the strap link 26 disconnected from the lower toggle joint, the device'may be inserted into posi tion within the trousers leg for engagement of the side edges of the members 4: with the lines of the trousers creases. The upper toggle links are then expanded by drawing the strap link 26 in the direction of the lower toggle links 12, the latter being at the same time expanded by the operator by moving its toggle joint in the direction of said link 26 preparatory to hooking the link 26 over the bolt 20. When the link 26 and bolt 20 are properly connected, as represented by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, the parts are held securely in their proper position with a strong, yet yielding, action due to the pull of the spring 24, which serves to take up any give in the goods of the garproj ect- With the device-contracted and the ment and maintain a constant e'tlective en-' gagement of the side members 4t therewith. The arrangement of toggle links is one which is particularly efiiective for the purpose of spreading the side members 4: in expanding the device, the straightening action of said toggles exerting a strong leverage under the pull of the spring without requiring a very great degree of movement of the joints. Furthermore, the adjustability of the toggle joints and of the connection between the sets of toggles provides for all necessary variation in the toggle action as well as for the varying degrees of expansion required for different sizes of garments.

It will thus be seen that a simple and efticient arrangement and construction have been devised for carrying out the desired objects of the invention, and while the foregoing represents what is now deemed to constitute the preferred form of construction, the right is reserved to make such formal changes and modifications as may fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A. trousers stretching device adapted to be inserted within the leg portions of trousers comprising a pair of side members formed with substantially straight outer edges adapted for engagement with the crease lines of the trousers leg, an expanding mechanism associated with each end of the device and connected to the ends of said members and operable, by relative approaching movement of said mechanisms toward each other, to spread said members, and yielding means detachably connecting said mechanisms and acting to hold the same in yieldingly expanded relation.

2. A trousers stretching device adapted to be inserted within the leg portions of trousers comprising a pair of side members formed with substantially straight outer edges adapted for engagement with the crease lines of the trousers leg, a toggle mechanism associated with each end of the Copies of this patent may be obtained for device and connecting the ends of said members, the toggle joints of said mechanisms moving toward each other in expanding the device, and means detachably connecting the toggle joints of said mechanisms to each other and including a yielding element, said connecting means tending to straighten said toggle mechanisms and hold said stretching device in yieldingly expanded relation.

A garment stretching device comprising a pair of side members, a toggle mechanism associated with each end of the device and connecting the ends of said members, each toggle mechanism comprising a pair of oppositely arranged semicircular toggle links )rovided each with a series or bolt openings, and a pivot bolt adapted to be adjustably mounted in said openings, the toggle joints of said mechanisms moving toward each other in expanding the device, and means detachably connecting the toggle joints of said mechanisms to each other and including a yielding element tending to straighten said toggle mechanisms and hold said stretching device in yieldingly expanded relation.

l. A garment stretching device comprising a pair of side members, a toggle mechanism associated with each end of the device and connecting the ends of said members, each toggle mechanism comprising a pair of toggle links, the toggle joints of said mechanisms moving toward each other in expanding the device, the ends of said side members being formed with lKBlfS receiving the outer ends or saidlinks and the bottoms of said keri s limiting the straightening movement of said toggle mechanisms, and means connecting the toggle joints of said mechanisms to each other and including a yielding element tending to straighten said toggle mechanisms and hold said stretching device in yieldingly expanded relation. I

In witness whereof I a'liix my signature.

nnnns'r M. w'nnznii.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

